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Windows 7: How useful is Windows system backup?

I know Windows backup can be useful if you don't want to lose certain data/installed software but how useful is it to restore windows in-case it gets buggy or sluggish? I only tried it once where Windows was being unresponsive so I wanted to get to to an early 'clean' state, so I restored a backup image but it still wasn't as stable as a new install, is it really worth the space it takes?

You're better off with free Macrium. But you have a "learning curve" for imaging to be efficient. Once you learn how to do it, it makes keeping your PC well-running pretty easy. There's an "Imaging Strategies" at the top of this forum you might look at.

I know Windows backup can be useful if you don't want to lose certain data/installed software but how useful is it to restore windows in-case it gets buggy or sluggish? I only tried it once where Windows was being unresponsive so I wanted to get to to an early 'clean' state, so I restored a backup image but it still wasn't as stable as a new install, is it really worth the space it takes?

You have to make your own judgement as to whether it's worth the space it takes, as you would with any application.

The restored backup image should be as "stable" as the system was at the moment the image was made. It's anybody's guess how stable your system was at that moment.

If you want the stability of a new install, you'd have to make an image of the new install and then restore it. I'm guessing you had no such image.

There's no reason you can't have 2, 4, or 40 images, all with varying stabilities. The only limiting factor is your willingness to make them and having the storage space for them. A Macrium image typically takes up about half as much space as the occupied space of the partitions that it represents.

As others have said, Windows Backup and Restore isn't the most often recommended tool for the job. The usual candidates are Macrium, Aomei Backupper, and Acronis.

I also recommend Macrium Reflect. I also recommend keeping your System files (OS and programs) ona separate drive or partition from your data files and image only those. That wil keep image size down and permit you to keep more of them on hand.

Data is more efficiently backed up with a folder/file syncing program such as FreeFileSync or SyncToy.

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